I think I'm seeing things. http://johntographer.posterous.com Words from a man of pictures. posterous.com Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:13:12 -0700 Taking Inventory http://johntographer.posterous.com/taking-inventory http://johntographer.posterous.com/taking-inventory
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In the middle of my freshman year of college, I spent two weeks taking inventory for a hardware store. Each day from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., I did nothing but scan bar codes and count screws, lawn mowers and everything in between. I wasn’t sure why someone would subject a human to such a mind-numbing activity, but I was getting paid well, so I didn’t complain.

After reading David Allen’s Getting Things Done, I’ve learned that taking inventory is also a good practice for personal life. According to Allen, knowing exactly what's in front of you helps you function with less anxiety.

Allen's big secret to stress-free productivity? Make a list of your “things” and check it often. That’s it. The rest is human instinct. If we write things down and keep them handy, we’re more likely to actually do them. Who’d a thunk it?

Allen’s version of “taking inventory” involves writing down the projects or goals you’re working on and keeping track of the next observable action necessary to complete the task. This way, you don’t have to spend time finding your place when you come back to the task.  

I like this concept because anxiety does not motivate me. I don't need anxiety to get the wheels turning. My big-boned genealogy has already given me a good shot at getting heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

Instead of obsessing and stressing over our actual tasks, we should spend more time doing them. Guess what: It feels good to do things. That hardware store knows what they have on-hand, but it isn’t the most successful business in town. Why? Because most of their inventory sits on the shelves and collects dust.

So, I encourage you to dust off those goals and ideas. List it all out. You’ll be surprised not only at how quickly the list goes, but also at how good you feel while you’re getting things done.
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(Photo courtesy of 123rf.com)

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